Moulin Rouge! Part deux
by NicoleKidmanIsPerfect
Summary: What we've all been hoping for: Satine is not dead! With Christian she leaves behind the Moulin Rouge and goes to live in England. Happiness won't last long, for the Duke comes back in the picture, and Satine has more attacks...
1. Death and Life

**Moulin Rouge! Part deux.

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Chapter one: Death and life

"No! Satine…" Christian cried. The curtains had closed and the silence sounded like a thousand people shouting, the shouts filling up Christian's head and making his mind blurry, his tears blurring his sight. Never in his life had he cried like this, not even when his dear mother had died. The two women he had loved most had left him, and now he didn't know what to do or who to turn to with his grief.

_She's not dead...she's not dead...just sleeping...she can wake up any moment now..._

But Satine, the Sparkling Diamond, star of the Moulin Rouge, did not breathe. Christian was sobbing, not noticing his friend Toulouse Lautrec coming up behind him.

"Christian..." Toulouse carefully laid his hand upon his friend's shoulder. He was tearing up too, by the sight of a broken man, who had just found his happiness and now watched it being taken away from him. Toulouse cleared his throat.

"Christian...you need to come outside."

"No..." the water still pouring out of his eyes, Christian clung onto Satine's body, still warm, but without any movement, "I'm not...leaving her..."

"You don't have to, Christian. Come, lift her up and take her outside. We'll bring her someplace safe."

Christian pressed a kiss against the soft skin of Satine's cheek and gently lifted her body from the ground. All the people that had breathlessly watched the tragedy unfold on the stage, behind the great red curtains, made way as Christian carried her body, once most gracefully dancing, now hanging limp in his arms, off the stage.

Harold Zidler was the only one who did not have a lump in his throat. He just wished for his angel to fly out to heaven, where she belonged now.

"Open the curtains," he spoke without needing to raise his voice. A few seconds later, he could face the audience. Searching for an appropriate emotion he quickly prepared a speech in his mind. Believe it or not, Zidler was not an emotional man. He was an artist, that was for sure, but his talent was to make believe, so he always acted the way he wanted others to act, to get them in the mood he wanted. His little squirrell had died, but the Moulin Rouge had not. Now he needed to convince the audience of the fact that the Moulin Rouge had not died with Satine, so Harold almost unnoticably mentioned for Nini to come over to him. She was next in line. She would be the new star of the Moulin Rouge from now on. The trapeze and diamonds would be hers.

"Dear guests," he began to speak.

In the meanwhile Christian and his bohemian friends had found their way out. The Argentinian opened the door to the garden and let Christian pass. Snowflakes came falling down from the sky like sugar.

"My friend," Toulouse said, while keeping up with his friends, "there stands your way to freedom, to the truth, to beauty and most importantly, to love." He pointed his cane at a carriage, with a black horse impatiently scraping his hoofs over the snow-covered street tiles.

"It doesn't matter Toulouse, my revolution is over. My love is over," said Christian with a shaky voice.

The bohemian revolutionairies glanced at one another.

"Poor boy," Satie shook his head.

"With his love, his spirit will come back to him," the Argentinian announced out loud. He resolutely took the handle of the carriage door and pulled it down.

"Do not let the bohemian spirit get lost inside of you, Christian, if you keep believing, your faith will return." The bohemians frowned at the Argentinian, they could all see that Satine's body got heavier for Christian, who seemed in trance, looking at his love lying in his arms.

"Oh, well." The Argentinian opened the door and Christian stepped inside, where he laid Satine's body on the red-covered seat and kneeled by her side. Toulouse got in as well.

"Satine, beautiful girl, you are safe," he whispered. Furiously Christian looked up to his friend.

"How can you say that, Toulouse? How can you tell her she's safe when she just died a horrible death? You with your bohemian crab! I should have never joined you. All of this would not have happened. My life is over, Toulouse, so just leave me alone."

Toulouse stared at Christian's face with a serious look.

"As you wish, my friend. But I suggest that you first look behind you, before you say any more things you do not mean."

Christian wanted to slap the little man's face for being so abnoxious. Could he not be polite at least and show a little more understanding instead of acting like his father? No. Apparently not. Realizing this Christian felt the anger coming up, but just before he could tell his former friend to go to hell something made him turn his head and try to catch his breath.

A cough.

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Please R&R. I've got more chapters. If you like it, I'll upload them. Critics are welcome! (Plus: English is not my natal language, so sorry for any mistakes!) Enjoy! 


	2. Good bye

Chapter two: Good bye

"Christian...?" the sound of this voice set Christian's heart on fire and an all-clearing bomb exploded in his head, completely blowing every thought away. He could not believe his eyes when he saw those sparkling blue eyes looking up at him. For a moment his ability to speak had vanished, all the words and phrases that came up could not come close to what he meant to say. It was as if she lit up, her light slowly surrounding him, until they were one piece within the light.

"My love, I hope I did not scare you too much," Satine said, with a mischievous smile on her gorgeous, but pale face.

Bursting out in tears Christian fell upon her, hugging her tight. Satine gasped for breath.

"Christian! I can not breathe!"

Finally he loosened his grip. With tears still rolling down his cheeks, he stroked her chin, her nose, her head, and kissed her lips, just making sure she was still the same.

"Darling, I thought you had died," he whispered. Satine looked in his eyes, suddenly realizing the hell he must have been through. She could not even imagine how she would feel if he would have been the one who died. Feeling sorry, she pulled him into a kiss.

From the seat across Toulouse had been watching the couple, and he finally witnessed the power of love. Their love, their unusually deep love for each other was what had her brought back to life. A knock on the wall of the carriage startled Toulouse and brought him back to the present situation. Satine nor Christian seemed to have heard the noise, for they were still in each other's arms, kissing.

"Toulouse my friend, it is time. Hurry! The guests are coming out!" said the Argentinian, after which he spotted the couple strangled in each other's arms on the other seat.

"Look at them! True beauty, freedom, truth and love!"

The heads of the Doctor and Satie popped right next to the Argentinian's. Christian and Satine ended their kiss to watch the bohemian's faces.

"What?" Satine laughed and lifted her body a bit, using her lower arms to support her body, "never seen us kiss before, boys?"

Suddenly the doors of the Moulin Rouge opened, and people were walking out of the theatre.

The Doctor was the only one who noticed, and said: "Quickly! You must go!"

"Wait! Where are we going?" Christian looked around concerned.

Toulouse winked at him and then attended Satie. "Satie, where are the tickets?"

Satie stuck his hand in his pocket and handed two cardboard tickets to Toulouse, who took Christian's hand and pressed them in it before folding Christian's fingers around them.

"Have a good trip. Do not return."

"Toulouse, I..." Christian stuttered.

"Honey, they're for the boat. We are going to London," said Satine while she laid her head against Christian's back.

"We will not visit. We have a revolution to uphold. Good bye, my friends."

With those words Toulouse jumped out of the carriage and the Argentinian closed the door. As the horse started to walk, Christian and Satine got in front of the window and waved at their bohemian friends.

"Thank you!" Christian mouthed.


	3. Running off

Chapter three: Running off

As the carriage rode through the night, the horse's hooves tapping on the street tiles, Christian and Satine had done nothing but holding each other. When Christian leaned in for another kiss Satine teasingly put her hand on his chest and pushed him away.

"I have to get rid of some chains first," she smiled as she began to take off the jewellery on her head and around her neck that she had worn for the performance that night. She placed them on the seat across and whispered: "Now, where were we?" as she raised an eyebrow. She then she pressed Christian against the wall and kissed him passionately. After a few minutes she pulled away from him.

"Wow," she said.

"Darling, are you cold? You've got goosebumps all over you," Christian said concerned as he rubbed Satine's arms.

"Why don't you kiss me again, warm me up?" Satine chuckled.

"We can't be kissing all the way to the boat! Here, put on my coat."

Christian took off his long coat, the coat he had worn on the stage after he stole it from the Argentinian to secretly take over his part, just to confront Satine. It was an act of despair, for Christian knew he could die. He quickly put away that thought though, and looked at his love.

Satine had put on the coat, and now sat in the corner of the seat, her head leaning against the wall, her eyes closed.

_He could have died...That horrible Duke had sent Warner, his man servant, out to kill Christian if he dared come near me after I rejected the Duke at the Gothic Tower. Well, rejected...more attempted to reject. The bastard went crazy, realizing he could not buy my love and he almost raped me...thank god for Chocolate._

Satine thought of her dark-skinned friend. The poor sweetheart. It must be hard for him to deal with her death. But it was hard for her too, never to see her friends again. She felt a stab of jealousy when she thought about Nini, next in line, taking over her performance, her crowd, her costumes, her diamonds...

"Satine?"

She opened her eyes and smiled.

_But I am giving it up for him._

"What has happened?"

Satine frowned questioningly.

"I mean, how did you plan this? Who thought of this plan to let you die and then run away? Why could I not know?"

"Oh Christian, you _had_ not to know. It all depended on your credibility towards the people. Believe me, I wanted to tell you." Satine looked down. She knew how Christian felt.

"It's okay darling," Christian reached over and took a string of reddish hair and tucked it behind her ear.

"I promise I will tell you everything when we get on the boat. Now we must prepare for the night. Although it's already dark," she grinned and to Christian's surprise, she lifted up her dress a bit and partially revealed her upper leg. She chuckled when she saw the look on her love's face.

"It's not what you think, honey."

Then she reached for a place on her leg and held up a small key. She knelt down on the ground and stuck it into the lock in the seat across. Christian had not even noticed the lock.

Satine turned the key and lifted up the seat. She struggled with its weight so Christian gave her a hand.

"Let's see if Toulouse did his job..." Satine, still on her knees, bent forward and checked the contents.

Christian stood next to her and looked at the objects in the space under the seat. Two piles of clothes, one for him and one for Satine, apparently. By the look of it simple, but comfortable clothes. And undergarments, he saw as Satine lifted up the dresses to see what was underneath. Christian blushed when she did the same with his pile. Next to the clothes were two black suitcases. Satine got out one and opened it. It was empty.

"Darling why don't you take the clothes and put them in the suitcase?" she handed Christian the suitcase and moved to the other side of the open seat. She opened the other suitcase, which was filled with all sorts of things that were useful for them in daily life. After she closed it Satine reached for a small bag. She glanced at Christian, who was still filling the suitcase, his back towards her, and she opened the bag. She smiled with content. Toulouse had not forgotten.


	4. Concerns

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or Moulin Rouge!. Please R&R!

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Two days later, Christian and Satine were getting on the boat to Dover, England. After spending one night in the carriage, without sleeping or letting go of each other, the carriage had stopped by a tavern.

"I think it is time to change horses," Satine had whispered, "and time to change clothes. We can not stand out too much."

Wrapped up in the clothes Toulouse had gotten them, Christian and Satine stepped into the tavern as a young couple on their way to England. Christian, being the son of wealthy parents, felt a bit uncomfortable at first. Satine, however, loved being thrown into the normal world. Even for one night. She had clung onto Christian as he talked to a man about the room, causing his arm to go numb for no blood reached that part of his body anymore. Besides, he was tired.

When they entered their small, but cosy room, Satine had fallen onto the bed and closed her eyes. She was instantly asleep, probably dreaming about the happy life she thought she would be having in the near future. Although, Christian had trouble sleeping. He lay awake for hours, contemplating.

_Would this be it? For us to leave just like that, get on a boat and lead a normal, hopefully happy life together? Hopefully...? Why 'hopefully'? Of course we will be happy..._

Christian was worried about Satine.

_When this was all one of Toulouse's brilliant little plans, and Satine's attack was faked, then why did she cough up blood? I could feel her agony when she could not breathe. She could not breathe. Why could she not breathe?_

Christian went through all of their moments together, and frowned.

_She told me she was sick. After she did not show up at our date she told me she had been sick!_

Although he tried to ignore the unpleasant feeling of something really being wrong with Satine, it was as if a dark shadow fell upon Christian. He had to know.

"Satine!"

He gently shook Satine's shoulders.

"Go to sleep, darling, you are so tired," she said, her eyes still closed.

"Satine, are you all right?"

"Yes, of course."

"No. I mean, are you _all right_?"

Satine frowned and opened her eyes. Their bright, lively color hit Christian once again and he was sure he could lie next to her forever, watching her breathe peacefully in his arms.

"Satine..."

_Would he know? Would he know about my condition? Did someone tell him? Oh dear, he must not know. I do not want him to be sad, now that he just found happiness again. I can not do that to him._

"Darling, I am alright, just a bit tired, like you. Now, you should sleep."

Satine pressed her lips against Christian's lips to prevent him from speaking, and pulled him closely.

"I am not going anywhere," she whispered in his ear, and could only hope for that to be true.


	5. Satine's Attack

Hello everyone! If you've been following this story you should read this chapter again, because I realised I had forgotten something. Quite a big add. Enjoy!

Chapter five: Satine's Attack

Christian and Satine were lying on Satine's bed inside their cabin, comfortably close to each other. They were both relaxed, lying on their side and enjoying the site and feel of the other, scanning every inch of their faces and holding hands.

"You still want to hear about the plan?" Satine asked.

"Yes," Christian answered, looking intently into Satine's eyes.

"Okay. Do you remember when I was to tell you I did not love you anymore? In the days we did not see each other afterwards, Toulouse came to visit me. He was polite and thoughtful as ever, but I could sense he was concerned and confused as well," Satine paused and grinned.

"He just could not believe that his whole idea of love, his belief in the power of it, could be wrong, and he asked me to explain what had been the force stronger than love."

Christian tucked Satine's hair behind her ear.

"I believe as far as he was concerned we were the irrifutable proof of the existence of true love."

Satine smiled again.

"Yes, he did. Does, probably. Anyway, I was a bit of an emotional wreck myself and I broke down in tears. Although Toulouse was quite shocked, he immediately came up to me and tried to comfort me. I told him everything, the whole plan, and then he left without saying another word. I thought he probably found me terrible for indulging in such evil plans to betray love, but I frankly did not care. All I could care about was you and my own grief..." Satine paused, clutching Christian's hand tighter.

"But he came back, did he not?" Christian brought Satine's hand to his lips and kissed it.

"Yes, he did," Satine said softly, "And then he was the one to shock _me_. He told me he had been thinking."

"Quite shocking, indeed," Christian interrupted, smirking.

"Christian, pay attention for another moment!" Satine spoke him severely, "I was shocked because he came up with the most brilliant plan. I would do the show, yes, but I would die afterwards."

Christian looked confused.

Satine smiled, "Of course, I had to act. I even practiced it once with the Argentinian you know? But Toulouse said," and Satine continued imitating Toulouse's voice, "Satine, you do not prepare for such things. You have to do it only one time, and believe that you are going to die and never see Christian again. You are a magnificent actress, so act." Which I did marvelously, if I may say so."

Satine rested her head in her hand now. Christian smiled at her imitation.

"After I died on the stage-,"

"You did not die, darling," Christian said softly.

Satine gazed at the ceiling and then back into Christian's eyes.

"You are wrong," she whispered, "I did. The Sparkling Diamond did." Satine did not know if what she was feeling was sadness or some sort of relief.

"Toulouse had arranged a carriage and boat tickets. You would bring me there and once it was safe, Toulouse would say a certain sentence and I would open my eyes. And...your bohemian friends collected an amount of money, big enough for us to make ends meet for a few weeks. Are they not sweethearts?" Satine seemed to have forgotten about her former aversion of the four bohemian men.

"But will no one find out?" Christian asked.

"What, that I am alive?" Satine rolled on her back, "No. I expect most of the men to forget about me as soon as Harold has shown Nini the ropes and she has become the next Sparkling Diamond. Although I doubt she will keep that title. She will most likely change it into something like 'Queen of the Night', or 'Lady Dark Silk' or something." Satine rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Hm. Well, if the Duke is going to ask questions, our friends will make sure he does not become a threat to us in any way. Do you know they even made me a grave? Yeah, really, they did! Under a tree in quite an insignificant place, so I can soon be forgotten."  
There was a moment of silence.

"So, what do you think of it? I hope you understand that we could not inform you. I would have if I could."

"How did you know I was going to come to the Moulin Rouge on the opening night? I mean, neither of the Bohemians knew I was going to do that."

"Well, that is why you had not to know. Toulouse knew for sure you would come to find me. The insecurity drove you mad, it was a fight between your head and your heart. You knew what I had said to you, but you also knew I did still love you. You had to come that night, you had to know. It was easier for you not having to act."

"I see," Christian said.

"Christian! Come look, there is England!" Satine enthusiastically gestured for Christian to come over to her.  
He thought she looked beautiful in her simple brown coloured dress, the wind blowing through her red hair. Her delicate figure almost jumped up and down next to the railing. She was having a great time on the boat, other then himself.

_This sea sickness has been bugging me ever since we got on the boat, I am glad to see we are approaching England. Luckily Satine, my sweet darling, has proved to be able to take care of me and take my mind off things when I need to. She is my steady rock in the wild sea. Almost literally._

Christian tried to smile as he tottered toward Satine, who quickly walked up to him to offer him her arm.

"Poor darling," she chuckled, as she led him towards her spot on deck. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.

"Don't you just love the sea, Christian? Hm?"

"I am glad you are amusing yourself darling, but I will be glad to set foot on steady grounds." Christian felt miserable.

Satine slung her arm around Christian's shoulders and pulled him to her.

"I love you," she said softly. She had really revived.

Christian and Satine were taking a walk on the deck. The strong wind played with Satine's red curls, and Christian spotted several men staring at her. Well, she was too gorgeous not to be stared at, certainly not while she was wearing her hair down instead of up, like most of the women on board.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking..."

Suddenly Satine started coughing.

"Darling, are you alright?" Christian asked with a worried look on his face. He handed her his handkerchief, which she pressed against her mouth.

As Satine's coughing became worse other people started staring at them.

"Let me get you inside." Christian took her hand not holding the handkerchief and placed his arm around her waist, cautiously leading her towards the door that led to the inside of the boat.

"Christian!" Satine now had to gasp for the air her lungs so desperately needed.

"The small bag...under the bed...hurry..."

"Sir! Can I help you?" fortunately a servant had heard Satine's coughing and popped his head around the corner.

"Yes! Yes, please stay with my wife until I come back," Christian said gratefully before he ran off to their cabin to get the bag.

_That is odd, I do not recall having seen that bag before._

Pushing away his thoughts, only wanting to act quickly, Christian grabbed the bag from under the bed and ran back to the place where he had left Satine with the servant.

Out of breath he arrived, to find Satine in the arms of the servant.

"Sir! I did not know what to do! Your wife...she fainted I suppose!"

"It is okay, you did alright, you stayed with her," Christian said nervously while he was opening the bag and looked at its contents. He found about ten metal little tubes. He got one out and looked at it.

"Satine!" he grabbed her shoulders and shook her, "Satine, please tell me what to do with this! Is this your medicine?"

"Er, sir?"

"Yes?" Christian looked up at the servant.

"I think I recognize that, sir. My sister uses the same medicine."

"Then, do you know how it is used?"

"I do, sir."

"Quickly then! Give it to her!"

The servant took the tube from Christian and clapped it open. Then he held it by Satine's mouth and tapped his finger on its end.  
A few seconds later Satine opened her eyes, her breathing still was not normal though. With a bewildered look she glanced around, as to find out where she was.

"Christian?"

The weakness of her voice broke Christian's heart.

"I am here, darling, I am here," Christian turned towards the servant.

"Thank you so much. She might have died without you. How can I thank you?"

The servant blushed.

"It really was no problem, sir. I am just happy to see the lady is getting better again."

"Meet us at the exit, when the boat has moored," Christian said, planning on giving the good man some extra pocket money. Then he took Satine in his arms and scooped her in his arms. Her head rested on his shoulder, her eyes were closed.

"I will be there, sir," the servant said before he nodded quickly towards Satine and turned around to get back to what he was doing.


	6. Fortune and Secrets

Chapter six: Fortune and Secrets

  
"Satine, why can you not tell me what is going on?"

Christian and Satine had arrived in London the day before, and now they were staying in a small but cosy house at the edge of the city. They were purely lucky to be there:

After their arrival in Dover, Christian and Satine had travelled to London by train. As they walked out of a backery where they had bought something to eat, a boy stole an old woman's purse. Christian immediately ran after him, his lunch still in his hand, and caught the little thief two streets further. When he handed the purse to the old woman, she asked him how she could thank him.

"Well," Christian had replied, "we are still looking for a place to stay."

The woman's face brightened up.

"Frankly," she said, "my son's house is empty now. He has been working in Paris for a while now, and I am looking for tenants."

"Oh, Christian! Do you hear that?" Satine clapped her hands in excitement.

"As you can see, my darling is delighted with the offer. I can do nothing but gratefully accept it," Christian smiled.

Satine pulled him into a hug and then held the old lady's hands.

"Thank you," she said.

"You are more than welcome, sweetheart. I have been quite lonely lately. I would love to have some company every now and then. If you want you can come with me right now and I will show you your new home."

The old lady felt fortunate to have found such a lovely young couple to live in her son's house.

_My boy has been away a long time. But his employer must be paying him a good fee. The last time he showed up, to announce he was going to Paris with his employer, he wore a suit, worth more than my husband made in a month._

The old lady smiled with content.

_If these young people, still so full of life and its pleasures, would be so kind to pay me a visit every now and then, it would brighten up my life quite a bit._

"We would love to see it now! Would we not, darling?" Satine had already given the old lady her arm and started walking, while she chatted about how wonderful she thought London was.

Christian grinned and with a sigh picked up their suitcases.

And now, one day later, they had settled in and just returned from the groceries store. Satine looked down.

"I told you, I am fine!" she now looked up at Christian.

"You did not look fine at the boat, and you did not look fine in the groceries store. You could not breathe, Satine. You used your medicine again to get air. One does not do that when one is fine!"

_She is hiding something from me, I can feel it. What are these strange attacks? Where do they come from?_

"Christian, please. I..."

_He is not going to let it go this time._

"I have astma," she reluctantly replied.

"Astma?" Christian looked at her with an oblivious look on his face.

"Yes!" Satine, who was glad that she had found such a terrific excuse for her attacks, kept her voice serious and looked away.

_Astma? Why did she not tell me before? She looks quite embarrassed about it._

"Darling, why did you not tell me before?"

"Because I am embarrassed about it!" Satine sunk into a chair.

"But why?"

Satine shrugged her shoulders.

"Listen Christian, when I lived at the Moulin Rouge, I had to be flawless, bright and bubbly, supple, tempting, and sexy." Satine paused.

"As you probably noticed, as everyone present noticed, I got an attack when I was up in the air, on my trapeze. I fell down. I had almost ruined the night."

"But that was not your fault."

"It is not about whose fault it would have been. It is about money coming in, it is about men giving me diamonds. About my presence bringing in money and guests. The whole evening was about me, for god's sake! Do you have any idea what I have been through to become the Sparkling Diamond?"

Satine quickly wiped some tears from her eyes. She was upset. She had been pushing every thought about home, about her friends away since she left the stage in Christian's arms.

_I feel I should feel guilty lieing to Christian.On the other hand I think he deserves to know a little more about my life. My former life. But not everything._

"…And I could not let my silly condition get in the way of my success. Who wants his show to depend on whether or not the star has trouble breathing and has to leave?"

Christian and Satine looked in each other's eyes. They were both saying "I am sorry" through their eyes, and they both understood.

Satine stood up and Christian walked up to her.

"Do not worry, darling. Come what may, I will love you till my dieing day, remember?"

"Yes. Yes, I remember," Satine leaned in for a kiss. Christian held her and Satine felt the warmth of his arms surrounding her.

"Until the day I truly die," she mumbled in his shoulder.


	7. With the Sweet, Comes the Sour

Thanks for the reviews! They make me happy, so keep on writing them. Also keep on reading, because I have thought of a nice plot...

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Chapter seven: With the Sweet, Comes the Sour 

As the months went by, Satine and Christian had grown even closer than they already were. They enjoyed each breath they took together. When they were in a room together, one could even sense the electricity in the air.

Their feelings for each other were about to get in the way of their honesty though.

_Oh dear, how am I going to tell Christian about this? He is going to feel so guilty, but it is not his fault. He got me the job in the tavern. I mean, I cannot possibly be sitting home all day, occupying myself with laundry baskets and cleaning. I need a little change of environment, and Christian, my darling, got me a job as a serving lady. However it might sound: I like being around men. Sure, the men are different here, very different. But the tavern is not the Moulin Rouge. What would they be doing right now? Would Nini be rehearsing on my trapeze? Would the Duke still own the deeds to the Moulin Rouge? And what about Chocolat and Marie? _

_I should not think about these things, they will make me homesick. No, home is here now. My life as the Sparkling Diamond is over. I will embark upon my work at the tavern. Even though it is hard to suppress my desires to dance and sing. Especially when there is a dancing evening organized. I am afraid that if I will dance, the people will be able to tell what I have been. Christian tries so hard to establish a life here, I cannot jeopardize it. So, we shall stay here. Christian seems so happy. This is our life now. Telling Christian about my silly thoughts would only let him worry more about my well-being. He is still so concerned about my 'asthma'. _

_He cannot have more worries. He needs to concentrate on hisjob now. I will adjust. I just need some time to get used to my new life._

"Darling, I am home!"

Christian found Satine in the kitchen. He walked up to her from behind and placed his hands around her waist.

"Are you actually cooking?"

Satine sighed.

"I was, but everything I try to prepare either turns black or I do not know the ingredients. You have a woman who cannot cook, darling."

Christian kissed the nape of her neck.

"No, but she sings like an angel."

"And dances like the devil," Satine imitated the Argentinian's voice.

Then they both fell silent for a moment and unwillingly their thoughts went out to their Bohemian friends.

"Quite a gorgeous and elegant devil," Christian broke the silence.

"Well, that is not who I am anymore," Satine turned to face Christian.

"Sing for me, Satine," he whispered.

Satine replied with a tempting smile and kissed him. Soon, they were absorbed in a passionate kiss. After a while Christian pulled back a little.

"Sing for me," he pleaded.

Satine chuckled but instead of answering his question, she grabbed his collar and began slowly walking forward, forcing Christian to walk backwards, towards the kitchen table. When Satine pushed Christian on the table, their simple kitchen suddenly became the inside of the Elephant; Satine became the courtesan, and Christian the penniless poet. They both felt it.

"Let's make love," Satine quoted from that very evening and pinned Christian down to the table.

Christian anticipated in the game.

"Make love?" he asked in an oblivious voice.

"You want to...don't you?"

"Well, I came to..."

Satine placed her hand over his mouth.

"I need your poetry, now," she said with a whisper instead of calling out loud like she had done the other night.

And then it hit Christian like a rock.

_Satine is a courtesan. Was, of course, a courtesan. How many men would there have been? How many times would she have said the same thing to others?_

And with that thought, Christian's weakest point had returned. Again, he felt the cold stab of jealousy.

"Darling," Christian tried to sit upright, but Satine pinned him down to the table and continued kissing his chest.

"Satine," now Christian grabbed her arms and gently pushed her away. She got up from the table and so did he.

"What?" Christian could hear her breathing.

"Did I do something wrong?" she sounded agitated.

"No, darling, it is just..." Christian walked towards her and took her hands in his, before he gave her his most honest smile.

"The table is not too comfortable," he said, caressing her skin with his nose.

Satine chuckled.

"I am sorry."

"Do not worry, I have a better idea," Christian replied, then lifted Satine up, and carried her to the bedroom.

"You are so beautiful," Christian stroke Satine's reddish curls. They felt soft and warm.

Satine was sound asleep with her back turned toward him. Hair and skin, red and cream white. No faults, just purity. She looked like an angel. Christian kissed her bare shoulder. Suddenly she seemed so fragile, and Christian took a vow that he would always protect her. Protect her from any man wanting to hurt her. Which brought him back to his earlier thoughts.

_How many men would there have been? How many men would have fallen in love with her? How many men were in love with her? I am happy to see that she likes her job. I am. Yet I do not want her working there. The men, I mean, I understand they look at her. Of course. Who would not? She is the most rare diamond in the world. But they touch her. Either her arm when she puts the drinks on the table, or the small of her back when they are talking to her. Even when I am present during my break. They give her flirtatious looks and smiles. They are just shameless. Yet, Satine does not seem to care- or notice. She is used to quite an amount of male attention, not as subtle as the men in the tavern. Maybe that is why she does not complain about it, or find it strange, or at least feel uncomfortable. How could she, when she does not even know? _

_Another stab of jealousy. Justified jealousy, in this case. _

_Should I tell her what she is not seeing? Or would that only make her feel uncomfortable? I cannot do that to her. She signed a contract, which means she will be paid, but also that she must work. Besides, I do not want her to feel like a courtesan, like a hooker. She left that behind and it would insult her. _

_No, it will be fine. Perhaps my jealousy will fade._

Satine turned in her sleep. Christian held her in his arms.

"I love you so..."


	8. And then the Jealousy will drive You Mad

Chapter eight: And then the jealousy will drive you mad...

"Stop! Stop it! Get away from her!" Christian was furious.

The room immediately fell silent and Satine stared at him obliviously. Even the musicians stopped playing.

Christian came running to Satine and grabbed her arm.

"Come with me, Satine," he spoke with despise echoing through his voice.

"Hey, I was only dancing with her!" the man called after them. But it was too late. Christian slammed the door behind them.

"Christian!" Satine pulled her arm from Christian's tight grip.

"You are hurting me!" Satine said with disbelief in her voice.

"I am sorry, darling, but I could not stand it any longer." Christian was still mad.

"Christian..." Satine's voice was calm now.

"I could have handled him myself, you know. He was just drunk."

"I know, darling, I know," Christian placed his hands around her face and kissed her.

"I just got sick of watching him touching you and flirt with you." Christian had calmed down, too.

"But thank you for protecting me," Satine smiled before she kissed him back.

"Christian, will you please just get over it? It has already happened; there is nothing you can do to undo it."

Satine left the living room and went into the bedroom.

_Why can he not leave it alone? He has me; he has my love, is that not enough? I wish I could stop the men from staring at me like Christian says they do, but I cannot._

Satine laid herself down on the bed.

_I know Christian is jealous. That is why I did not want to go. That was the true reason. I knew the other men would ask me to dance, and I knew it would hurt Christian. But he is the one that so desperately wanted to go. I am getting tired of his jealousy. Sometimes I even wonder if he trusts me at all._

In the living room, Christian was thinking about telling Satine how he felt, how he really felt about her job at the tavern and its costumers. He was pacing through the room, sat down on the sofa, got up and looked out the window. He saw the last two days take place in his mind.

One day Satine had come home and Christian could tell there was something wrong.

"Darling, is everything alright?" he had asked her.

"Yes," she replied, "Christian?"

"Yes?"

"They are organizing a dance night at the tavern."

"Well, what a nice plan! When will it be?" Christian asked cheerfully.

"In two days. But Christian, I do not want to go." Satine was still very serious.

"Why not, darling?" Christian walked up to Satine.

"Because I do not want to dance. I am afraid they will notice that I was...that I used to dance differently."

Christian tucked a curl behind her ear.

"Darling, they will not notice if you just dance with me," he said.

"Hm. I am not sure. I think I would rather stay home," Satine nodded.

"But are you not supposed to serve everyone drinks?"

"No, my boss said I could bring you and have a nice evening."

"Well, then, why not?" Christian wanted to go and dance with his beautiful Satine, showing everyone she was his.

"Because I cannot!" Satine said as she ran off to the bedroom, leaving Christian with his thoughts.

_Why is this so hard for her? I know she loves to sing and dance. And the reason she gave me for not wanting to go does not make sense to me. If anyone can be in total control of one's body and emotions it is Satine. There must be something else. She has been down lately, and this party might cheer her up. I have to convince her to come with me._

The next day Christian broached the same subject. After promising Satine that he would not get jealous if she would dance with other men, she reluctantly agreed on going to the party.

_So that was the true reason, she is afraid that I will get jealous. "And then the jealousy will drive you mad." I can remember her saying that to me in my hotel room in Montmartre. I told her I would not, but I did, and like she had predicted it drove me mad. I will not make the same mistake again, though._

On the day of the party Satine had gone to the old lady to ask for her help. Namely, the only dress she got that was not one of her daily dresses, was the white one she had worn on the night of their escape from the Duke. Their escape from her life as a courtesan.

That night Satine came home with a beautiful dress. The old lady had helped her pick one out, that was suitable for the occasion. Satine was excited about wearing something beautiful again. She would not show Christian the dress before they went to the party though.

When they arrived at the party, everyone was stunned by how Satine looked. She wore a red dress, tight around her waist, with bare shoulders. The skirt fell gracefully over her hips and legs and seemed to dance when Satine moved, like her playful red curls. Satine had done her hair herself, she hoped it did not bother Christian that it was a haircut she had had at the Moulin Rouge. Her hair was bound together in a knot against the back of her head; one curl had escaped the knot and now lay against Satine's cheek. The rest of her hair covered her back and reflected the light, like the white earrings and matching necklace the old lady had lent her.

When she stood there, all the men gasping at her, Satine felt like the Sparkling Diamond, and without blushing put her red lips into a smile, her bright blue eyes shining.

"Good evening, everyone," she spoke in a soft voice and nodded.

Christian noticed that every man and woman was staring at Satine. And instead of feeling jealous, he felt proud that she had put her arm through his.

So he smiled a wide smile and said: "Good evening."

Now he was noticed as well, and everyone went back to their conversations.

A man in a cheap suit walked up to them.

"Well, hello, Satine," he said, took her hand and placed a kiss on it. Christian clenched his jaw when Satine chuckled.

"Hello, Peter," she said.

"Just call me Pete, like you always do," Peter said and winked at Satine.

"So, this is Christian," Satine introduced Christian to Peter. Reluctantly Christian shook Peter's hand.

"And you are her...?" he asked.

"I am her husband, nice to meet you," Christian quickly said before Satine could say something else.

"Satine," Peter sounded surprised, "You never told me you were actually married."

"Well, she does not have to tell you everything. Come darling, I will get you a drink," Christian said triumphantly and escorted Satine to the bar.

"I do not like the guy, Satine."

"Like I could not tell, darling. You acted like a baby and you were rude to him. Peter is a nice guy, Christian!"

"How nice?"

Satine stared at Christian obliviously.

"How nice?" she repeated in a high voice.

Christian looked at his glass of beer.

"Yes, how nice?"

"Oh, I cannot _believe_ you Christian!" Satine hissed at him, grabbed her drink from the bar and crossed the room, to Peter and his friends.

Christian watched Peter get up quickly and get Satine a chair.

_Bootlicker._

"Thank you, Peter," Satine said and sat down in the chair he got her.

"No problem, Satine," he replied with a charming smile.

"Is your husband not coming?"

Satine gazed at Christian, who still sat at the bar.

_Such a baby._

"No, he seems pretty comfortable at the bar."

"You are not having problems, are you?"

Satine frowned at him.

"Of course not! We are...he is just a bit cranky, that is all." Satine's face relaxed.

"So, are you amusing yourself?"

"I am now," Peter leaned towards Satine. She pulled back a little. She could smell the scent of alcohol coming from his direction.

"You are flattering me, Peter."

"I have never seen a beautiful woman like you," Peter said while he grabbed his drink.

_It is nothing like Peter to say such things. I wonder how much he has had to drink._

Satine glanced at Peter's glass and leaned to her neighbor.

"Sean, could you tell me how many drinks he has had?" she whispered.

"Well, miss, this would be his fifth."

Satine nodded slightly.

"Thank you." She then turned to Peter again.

Christian was still watching her from the bar.

_What the hell is she doing? Now that other guy got her attention._

Then a group of musicians appeared. They were introduced by the owner of the tavern and then began playing. Several couples stood up from the tables and moved to the dance floor. Christian saw Satine still talking to Peter.

"Listen, Peter, I am going to check on Christian," Satine wanted to stand up, but Peter grabbed her hand and looked up to her.

"Please dance with me, Satine?" he pleaded.

Satine put on a smile.

"Maybe later."

"Satine, please. I will be a good boy. One dance and I will not bother you for the rest of the evening. Please."

_Would I do it when I had never been a courtesan? I would not know. Hm...okay then. One dance. Then I will go to Christian. Besides, Peter will be staying away from Christian, which would be nice._

"Okay. Just one."

Peter jumped up and kissed Satine on her cheek.

"You are beautiful!" he yelled.

Satine was a bit startled by the kiss, and she hoped Christian had not noticed. She did not know that he had, though.

At the bar, Christian's eyes almost popped out of his head.

_What? How dare he kiss Satine! I have had enough of this. I am going to get her now!_

Peter had already pulled Satine on the dance floor, and he pressed her body against his.

Satine started to feel quite uncomfortable.

"Pete?"

"Hm?"

"I cannot breathe if you hold me tight like that."

"Hm."

"Peter?"

"Shut up," Peter said and kissed her neck.

"Peter, let go of me now!" Satine began to push him away.

Suddenly Christian yelled and came running to her. He was furious.

"Stop! Stop it! Get away from her!"

Christian turned away from the window. He was going to talk to Satine.

* * *

So, this might be the last chapter for now, because I'm going on holiday for three weeks. I will keep writing though, and I promise to update more chapters when I get back. First thing. In the meanwhile, please keep on reviewing because it really keeps my spirit up! And even if you don't, I'll keep on writing because I love this story! 


	9. Quite Simply to Put Into Words

Dear readers, so I am back from my holiday, which was great. I wrote you two chapters and I also wrote a big addition to chapter five, so you should read that one again! I was going to post them ASAP, but I've been having problems uploading the Word document to my FanFic Documents. Sorry for that! Anyway, here they are! Reviews please!

Chapter nine: Quite Simply to Put into Words

Christian stood in front of the closed bedroom door, where Satine was still lying in the bed.

"Satine? Darling, I need to tell you something. We need to talk."

He heard nothing and was unsure whether he should just enter or await her response. Maybe she did not want to talk to him.

"Are we going to have a conversation through the door or are you going to come in?"

Christian sighed in relief by the sound of her voice and opened the door. Apparently she was not that mad at him. As he entered the room he found himself wrong, though. Satine stood tall, her arms crossed in front of her body, a raised eyebrow telling Christian she was not in the mood for games.

"I presume you are going to apologize?" Satine asked in an icy voice.

"For getting you away from _Peter_? No," Christian spat the last two words.

The two looked each other in the eye, both waiting for the other one to speak. After a few moments Christian broke the silence, since he had been the one who wanted to talk. He better got started, so he nodded his head towards the bed behind Satine.

"Want to sit down?"

Satine sat down, her arms still crossed, and Christian joined her.

"Satine," he said in a soft voice, "I am sorry but I have been keeping some things from you."

He waited to probe Satine's reaction, but her face was unreadable, so he continued.

"To be frank I do not like that you are working at that tavern. I do not trust those men."

"No, you do not trust me!" Satine's eyes spat fire, "You think I am still playing the whore!"

Satine had uncrossed her arms while saying this and pushed her fists into the mattress. Christian jumped up.

"I do not think that, Satine, but they sure are treating you like one! And because you actually were one, you do not even notice!" he was breathing loudly.

"Christian, I am making money we cannot miss and I do not see the point in you telling me things I do not even wish to know. Perhaps you should just stop coming in during your break so you can stop tormenting yourself," Satine gasped for air before she continued, for she suddenly felt so desperate and angry, "You are so jealous, Christian, you know I would never deceive you. You are so jealous!" Satine stood up from the bed, too, and reached for the door handle.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you so you can think of what else you wish to say to me before we make up just for you to come up with something else to argue about," said Satine in one breath before she left the room, smashing the door close behind her, leaving a dumbfounded Christian.

_How daresay he that I am still a whore, how can he even think it?_

Christian's words felt as though he injected a burning liquid right into her heart, which pomped it through her body, causing it to ache intensely.

Satine reached for her long coat which was hanging from the hatstand.

What had gone wrong? Why could they not be honest with each other anymore?

Having put on her coat and buttoned it up, Satine stepped out of the door and headed to the one place she knew she would find someone to talk to.

_That went well…_

Christian felt like slapping himself when Satine walked out the door.

_How could I have hurt her like that? The words I spoke were not the ones I intended to. I never meant to say she has not changed. The promise I made not to get jealous I could not keep. Maybe she is right. Maybe I am not being protective, but jealous…_

The old lady opened the door to find a clearly upset Satine on her doorstep. Worried lines creased the old lady's forehead as Satine faked a smile and greeted her.

"Come in love, come in." The old lady stepped aside to let Satine pass her into the hall and then the living room, where Satine sank down into the sofa. She had sunk down into this sofa a lot of times before now, but not without Christian next to her. It felt weird to be able to see the plant against the wall on her right, for Christian normally blocked that out of Satine's sight. The old lady emerged from the hall and Kelsey, the maid, provided them with tea and biscuits.

"Thank you, dear," the old lady said as she lowered herself into the comfortable armchair which made a ninety degree angle with the sofa.

"Now," she said when Kelsey had left the room, "what has he done to make you so said, darling?"

"Well," Satine began to say without wondering how the old lady could have guessed that it was about Christian, "I would have to start by last night."

"Hm," the old lady sipped her tea and closed her eyes, then sat back in the armchair as she let Satine talk.

Christian was pacing through the living room. He kept hearing Satine's voice in his head.

"_And then jealousy will drive you mad…You are so jealous, Christian!"_

Satine's face appeared before his eyes, her eyes desperate to get through his wall of denial. The image drove Christian crazy. In the kitchen he poured himself a drink and emptied his glass in three pulls.

"You know what?" he said to himself while staring into his glass as though he was checking if any liquid had stayed behind, "She is right. I am jealous. I have…a disposition…to jealousy. Now that I have admitted it, we will have to try and avoid situations where I could get jealous, of course. Which means…"

Christian continued his speech in his head.

_Which means I will ask Satine to resign…_

Satine put her second emptied cup on the table.

"So when we came home I thought the deal was over, but he just kept bringing it up," she shook her head in misunderstanding, "so I went into the bedroom. After a while, he came in though, saying he wanted to talk," at this point Satine was gesturing with her hands as to make her indignation more clearly.

"Turns out he had no intention of apologizing for his rather exaggerated behavior that night, but instead…" Satine now sank back into the sofa and let her hands rest in her lap, "instead he insulted me…something from the past."

Satine sighed. The old lady fortunately sensed that Satine did not want to get into the subject of her past, so she kept quiet for another moment.

"Anyway," Satine pulled the corners of her mouth into a slightly embarrassed smile, which only emphasized her soft features even more, "maybe it is healthy to get jealous in such situations. I…would not know."

The old lady answered quickly.

"Perhaps. And you are afraid he does not trust you, am I right?"

Satine let out a deep breath, happy to hear the old lady say exactly what she thought.

"Yes. Yes, that is precisely what was going through my mind," Satine smiled a full and relieved smile now.

"Darling," the old lady said and rolled her eyes, but not in a mocking way, "your problem is quite simple to put into words. You and Christian, you love each other too much! Too much to stay honest. You are overprotective towards one another, because the last thing you want is to hurt the other, is that not true?"

Satine frowned her forehead as she began to understand what the old lady meant. She nodded and the old lady continued.

"You are both meaning well, of that I am sure, but if you do not let the other one know how you feel you are bound to end up arguing about silly misunderstandings. So, why not head back home and clear things up?"


	10. Peace and Terror

Chapter ten: Peace and Terror

It had been an hour since Satine had come home, and now she and Christian sat and snuggled up against each other on the sofa, Christian softly caresses Satine's hair and Satine rests her head against his chest.

_I am so glad he finally came to admit he has a disposition to jealousy._

Satine could not help but smirk at the thought of Christian's next attempt to convince her to give up her job at the tavern.

"_Darling, they are not giving you the respect you deserve there, after last night it is clear they do not." No, no, no, he better just learn to deal with his feelings._

Satine pressed her nose and cheek hard against Christian's steadily rising and falling chest, eyes closed, and letting out a deep sigh. She enjoyed the feel of love running through her veins like adrenaline, and Satine knew she would never be happier than this, or feel safer in someone's arms. Christian held her head to his chest as if she was a baby, and felt like he was holding love in a solid form in his arms.

_I did not know she was having so much trouble adapting to normal life. I should have known she was feeling unhappy though. It must be horrible for her to feel like she is not a woman, as she put it. She cannot cook, nor does she know how to wash clothes or run a proper household, as she says. Luckily I was able to comfort her by saying I had not even noticed, as I have not, and I do not mind. There is a time to learn everything, and the fact that most of the household jobs were being done for her at the Moulin Rouge does not take away her ability to do them herself. I will just help her as much as possible and everything should be fine._

_She thought I did not trust her. Of course I trust her. When she looks up to me fairness is in her eyes, she gives sweetness from her mouth, comfort when I brush my fingers through her hair, trust when I feel her back get smaller and my hands stop and rest on her waist, safety as I feel the touch of her hands. She is love with her whole being. Everything, love, everything…_

"Christian?" Satine's soft voice got him back to present, "We should probably stop by the old lady and tell her we are okay again."

Christian chuckled.

"Okay? Is that it?"

Satine's eyes widened a bit as she faked to realise her terrible choice of words.

"Oh," she whispered, "or should I say…" Satine pulled her knees underneath her so she could sit upright and face Christian.

"Better…" she kissed his forehead, "Wonderful…" she kissed his cheek, "Great…" she teasingly kissed the tip of his nose, "Or…," she waited a moment to look deeply into his eyes, which to her content, were fixed at hers, before she said: "Or simply very, very much in love…" and kissed him passionately.

When their kiss finally ended, Christian said: "I think we should go for the last one."

Satine laughed.

"You think so?"

"Yes," Christian said as he rested his hands on her waist, "unfortunately though, I have forgotten what it was. Could you…could you refresh my memory?"

Satine was holding her breath, trying hard not to laugh. She did when Christian cocked his head to one side and looked at her with pleading eyes though.

"Sorry!" she spoke while she made an effort to stop laughing so hard, "But I have never, and I mean _never_ seen you act like that!"

Christian grinned but did not move.

"Come here, darling," he said in a serious voice while tears streamed down Satine's cheeks.

"W-what?" she asked as another wave of laughter escaped her.

"I said: come here and let me kiss you for the rest of your life!" Christian said as he pulled her down with him and kissed her for dear life. After a few seconds Satine had to pull back to gasp for air and let her last laughs escape. Also reminding Christian of what they were talking about before they got carried away.

"Okay, we will see her," Christian smiled, "Shall we buy her flowers for pointing out our problem?"

Satine smiled too.

"You can be such a sweetheart. Will you be a real sweetheart and get me my coat, then?"

An half an hour later Christian and Satine both sat on the old lady's sofa, beaming. The old lady was sitting in her armchair, happy to see her favourite people happy again.

"The flowers are beautiful," she spoke, "And I am very pleased I was able to help." She nodded her head towards them and smiled. Satine laid her hand on top of the old lady's.

"Thank you," Satine said sincerely, "Not only for this, but also for providing us with a wonderful home and a good friend. Bringing you flowers is the least we can do."

The old lady laid her other hand on top of Satine's and squeezed it gently.

"Your company means a lot to me, dear. An old lady like me can get quite lonesome sometimes."

Before either Satine or Christian could answer, Kelsey emerged from the hall, holding a white envelope in her hands.

"Good evening," she greeted Christian and Satine politely before turning to the old lady.

"What have you got there, dear? Is that a letter from my son?" the old lady asked.

"Yes, ma'am. I think so. It came all the way from Paris," Kelsey answered and simultaneously handed the letter to the old lady.

"Thank you, dear. Could you pour us another cup, please?" As Kelsey obeyed, the old lady turned to Christian and Satine.

"Would you mind if I…?" she asked holding up the envelope, "I have not heard from him for quite a while."

"Oh! Sure! Take your time, we will amuse ourselves," Satine quickly said.

The old lady read the letter and almost jumped up from her chair.

"Oh, goodness!"

"Is everything alright?" asked Christian. The old lady looked up at him from her letter.

"Even better," she beamed, "My son is coming to England! Yes, he writes that his master does not wish to spend another minute in Paris. You see, his master had had plans for some nightclub there, but I take it they failed at those. Something about a show and a dead girl. He was very vague about that part. Anyway, he and his master are heading for England as we speak- is everything alright?" The old lady paused and looked intently at Christian and Satine, who were both turning pale.

"That…that nightclub. Could that be called the... 'Moulin Rouge'?" Christian stuttered.

"Oh, let me see," the old lady skimmed the letter, "Oh yes, there it is. Moulin Rouge! Yes, indeed. How did you know?"

"Oh, lucky guess, I…I guess…"

Christian was holding Satine's hand and felt it become cold as his own hand felt sweaty.

"And what is your son's name, if I may ask?" Satine swallowed, dreading the answer.

The old lady answered: "Did I never tell you that?"

Neither Christian nor Satine moved. Then the old lady proudly said: "My son's name, is Warner!"


	11. Hasty Decisions

Finally, a new chapter! I have figured out the plot now, or most of it, and some exciting things are going to happen. Typing takes a while though because I dislocated and fractured my left elbow with gymnastics (and I'm left handed so go figure). Anyways, please R&R!

* * *

Chapter eleven: Hasty Decisions

Satine frantically paced through the room.

"Christian, we have to leave. We have to," she said. Her voice was shaky from the agony for what the future might bring if they would stay in London.

Christian raced his hands through his hair and cupped his face in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. He did not know what to say. The last hour had been a blur. He vaguely remembered getting out of the old lady's house as fast as they could without being impolite, and Satine clinging onto him on their way home. Home. Warner's home. Warner's house, life, bed, kitchen, pans, curtains, bathroom, sofa, floors, walls, ceilings,…

Satine was panicking.

"Christian, please start packing. We have to get out, we have to get away from the Duke…Warner is going to kill you! No, no, no!" Satine pressed her palm against her forehead and closed her eyes as she tried to see things clearly. She wanted to push the chaos in her head aside and start packing reasonably. She had not noticed that her breathing had become shallow. The hyperventilating started to exhaust her and her head was hurting. Large tears rolled down her cheeks.

Christian felt as if all the energy had left his body at once. He wanted to console Satine, to hold her and be strong for her, but he could not. Frankly, all he was able to do was not to move. He sighed and lifted his head from his hands.

"Satine, calm down," he spoke slowly.

Satine did not answer or open her eyes; she was still trying to get her breathing under control. After a few moments her heart stopped racing and mind cleared a little.

"Are you alright?" Christian asked in a caring voice, as though she was a little girl.

Satine slightly nodded her head and swallowed her last tears away. Christian finally stood up from his chair and walked up to Satine. He took her hand, which was wet from wiping the tears from her face, and led her into the kitchen. He sat her down in a chair and poured them both a glass of water. The cool liquid felt comforting as it slid down Satine's throat.

"They could be here in two, maybe three days," Satine whispered.

"We will be gone by then, do not worry. Everything will be alright. It will," Christian answered.

Neither of them said another word, for they were both unable to move for a moment.

"How about my job? I signed a contract…can I just disappear…?"

Not getting a respond from Christian, Satine continued.

"I mean, will the police go looking for us, too? And, and should we not tell the old lady where we are going…why we are going…what we are going to-," Satine sighed, "Of course not. We should not-"

Suddenly Satine felt it got increasingly hard to breathe. She started coughing to try clear her airway, but it did not work.

Christian, who was staring out the window, said: "Calm down, darling, we are going to be fine…"

"Christian!" Satine choked. Christian turned sharply and immediately noticed Satine was having an attack. He ran to the bedroom and retrieved one of the metal tubes. By the time he came back to the kitchen, Satine was coughing up blood. It felt like she was scraping off the skin that covered her trachea with each cough, but wanted oxygen more than the pain to be over. Christian stood behind her chair and placed his hand under her chin to tilt her head backwards a little. Then he clapped the metal tube open en tapped its end, as he had seen the servant at the boat do it. Satine started gasping for air instead of coughing now, and found support by Christian hugging her and gently patting her back.

"I am sorry," she cried, burying her face in his shoulder and feeling so comfortable in Christian's strong arms. He moved his hand from her back to her hair and was stroking her head as he let her calm down.

"Darling, you should sleep. Now is not a good time to leave, you are too weak," Christian lifted Satine up from the chair and carried her into the bedroom, where he laid her down on the bed. He watched her go to sleep.

"Christian, could you get the door?" Satine cried in exasperation. She had been packing most of their clothes and some other things they needed for their journey and now some one had knocked on the door. Having to move out of a wonderful house and having to leave behind a dear friend did not improve her mood. Satine heard Christian disengage the locks and open the door. She did not pay much attention to the happenings in the hall after that, and double checked if her precious metal tubes were safe inside the small bag.

Satine decided she could have a glass of water before the carriage would arrive. She walked into the living room, but stopped halfway to the kitchen.

"Kelsey?" she said incredulously as she noticed the young maid on the sofa. Satine's gaze moved from Kelsey to the even younger boy next to her. He wore a pair of oversized trousers, which he kept up with braces, a white shirt and a brown jacket, also quite oversized. Once he noticed Satine, he jumped off the sofa and took off his cap with a sway of his arm, bending deeply, then looking up at her with a mischievous glance in his eyes, but smiling politely. Satine looked from him, to Kelsey, to Christian. "Explanation?" her eyes said. Christian was the first to clear his throat and answer.

"Darling, this is Kelsey's little brother."

Satine looked at the little boy in front of her, who smiled at her and said: "Hello, Miss, my name is Robbie. At your service."

"At your service?" Satine was visibly confused. Kelsey, who had not said a word yet, but only sat on the sofa with her stare fixed on the window, sighed in exasperation and turned to Satine.

"At your service means he will be your servant, like me. Look, we know your situation,-"

"Our situation?" Satine interrupted, "Christian, what did you tell-"

"Miss, he did not say a word. I...we, have come here because I thought you could use our help. Given your situation."

Christian continued Kelsey's explanation.

"Satine, Kelsey knows Walter. She knows who he is and what he has done in Paris. He is-"

Kelsey turned sharply to Christian and finished his sentence for him.

"We were lovers, once. He used to write me every week, no matter where he was with that...that master of his. He wrote enough about his visit to Paris to let me understand your _situation_."

Ignoring Kelsey's rudeness for interrupting both her and Christian, Satine continued the conversation.

"Wait, you said you were _once_ lovers. But you do know about his...special assignment back in Paris? That was only months ago. Why should I trust you are not still in a relationship with him? What should make me believe that you will not lead him to us, or even the other way around?" Satine placed her hands in her waist and raised an eyebrow.

"Darling, Kelsey and her brother are helping us. They even arranged us a carriage," Christian walked up to Satine and placed his hand around her waist, after which he whispered: "Besides, they are all the help we can get. Please, be grateful for that. Kelsey had to give up her job because she wanted to help us."

Satine looked in his eyes.

"Why would she want to help us? We cannot even afford to pay her, nor her little brother. Do they know that, Christian?" Satine replied.

Kelsey rose from the sofa.

"Miss," she said, calm and politely now, "I can assure you I have no dark motives as to why I am doing this. The way Walter broke up with me, after not even wanting to tell his mother about our relationship, was cruel, and left me wanting nothing more than to hurt him the way he hurt me. You do not have to pay me, or my brother. Just let me get back on Walter."

Satine was not convinced yet.

"Who told him we were here?" she asked in an icy voice.

Kelsey smiled.

"My former mistress has been alone for quite a while. She was thrilled to have found such nice company as yourselves. She writes to her son as well, you know."

Satine gazed at the young woman in front of her.

_I still do not trust her. I have no reason not to trust her, and what she says makes sense, but I have this strange feeling..._

"Okay. Okay, fine. You can come with us. Thank you," Satine said before she gently pushed Christian's hand away and headed for the kitchen to get her glass of water, at last.


	12. Kelsey Laughs!

Hi everybody! So, I have kept you waiting WAY too long. My two excuses are: no time (school, etc.) and Internet break-down (happens all the time, but a little long this time). Anyway, I am going to finish this story one way or another, I won't disappoint you (hopefully). Okay, thirteenth chapter is coming up (it's titled: How everything went wrong). Oh and I changed Tommy's name into Robbie. R&R please!

Chapter 12: Kelsey laughs

"So, what will we choose our names to be today?" Satine asked as a village appeared behind the hill they were mounting. Robbie, who walked hand in hand with Satine, jumped up and down.

"Can I think of a name for my sister now?"

His question was answered with a scornful look from Kelsey, who was carrying the backpack.

"No. If you do not mind, I can think of something better than miss C. Arrot or R. Idiculous, thank you," Kelsey looked up to the sky and said in a desperate voice: "Why did I ever bring you?"

Robbie, still skipping beside Satine, ignored his sister.

"Can I think of a name for you, then, miss Satine?"

Satine laughed.

"Okay mister Robbie. You can think of a name for me."

Christian, feeling slightly sorry for her, offered to take over the backpack from Kelsey as she rolled her eyes in misery.

"No, I am fine," she replied in a sulky voice.

This was their second month of travelling through England. They lived off the money Satine and Christian had earned and what was left of the money Toulouse had given them. Village to village, tavern to tavern, needing less and less luggage, until they found that all they really needed fitted in a single backpack. Satine had pushed her distrust against Kelsey aside and become friends with Robbie. Christian found himself getting less attention from Satine, but did not mind. After all, what could be the competition from a twelve year old boy? Christian had made it his secret mission to get Kelsey to laugh, since she seemed tense and sulky twenty-four hours a day. Today she seemed especially tense though. Christian figured it was because of the change of environment all the time. He had trouble with that too, actually the only ones that had been able of staying positive all the time were Satine and Robbie. The physical exersice seemed to be good for her asthma for she had hardly had any attacks.

"Misses Louisa Amp!" Robbie called, still enthusiastically coming up with names for Satine.

"Lamp?" Satine answered indignantly.

"Okay, okay, how about Doris Ress?"

"Dress? No no no," Satine desperately shook her head, "Robbie, please give me a normal name, I can already see the town lying ahead of us."

Robbie furrowed his brow and enclosed his chin between his thumb and forefinger.

"Alright. I give up I cannot think of something normal."

"Aimes," Kelsey snapped.

"Aimes?" Robbie repeated dissapointedly.

"Yes, Aimes, live with it."

Robbie crossed his arms in front of his body and sulked along.

Satine slowly opened her eyes.

"Christian?" she could tell from the echo of her voice that she was in a small room. Satine winked a few times to get her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Once they had, she could make out the shape of a window. It had bars behind which the soft night had fallen.

"Christian!" Satine sat up straight and frantically looked around.

_What happened? Where am I? Where are Christian and Robbie and Kelsey?_

When the blanket fell down in her lap, Satine felt the cold wind caressing her bare shoulders, causing her to shiver and quickly pull the blanket back up to her chin.

And with the warmth returning to her, so did the memories of the day before.

They had settled in their rooms and decided to explore the town and refill their food bag. Satine and Christian were walking hand in hand while Kelsey and Robbie went to buy Robbie a new pair of trousers. It was getting colder every day and Robbie was wearing rags rather than trousers. Afterwards, Satine and Kelsey went to buy a new dress for Satine and Christian and Robbie went back to the tavern to order their dinner so that when the women returned they would not have to wait for their food.

Kelsey helped Satine trying on a few dresses they could afford and Satine had given her the wallet so she could pay for the dress while Satine got her boots back on.

"Yes, ma'am," answered Kelsey as she buttoned up the plain brown dress Satine was trying on.

"Please Kelsey do not call me that, there is no need," Satine said friendly.

"My name is Doris."

"There is nobody that can hear us."

"This dress does not fit, I will ask for another one," Kelsey walked out of the fitting room, leaving Satine standing in front of the mirror. She heard Kelsey's footsteps fade away and then it was silent. The shop had a nice temperature and Satine got her hair out of its bun. Her soft red curls fell freely over her back and shoulders, and rounded her face.

Suddenly the face of the Sparkling Diamond appeared in the mirror, and Satine's expression changed. She breathed in and remembered the sound of the orchestra and the cheering crowd below her as she swung on her trapeze. The many hands stretching out to her, but quickly pulling away as she came within their reach, not daring to really touch her. The smoke, the scent of absinthe, the dancing skirts and the worshipping men. The private atmosphere although there were many, the heat and the pounding of her heart...

Kelsey's approaching footsteps brought Satine back to present, and she quickly put her hair back in its bun. When she looked in the mirror again, the Sparkling Diamond was gone.

Satine jumped when the door on her right opened and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. A man carrying a tray entered the room and closed the door behind him. Satine looked up to him with a frightened look on her face and brought her knees up to her chest. Without saying a word, the roughly built man put the tray on the bed and got something out of a dark corner.

"Get dressed," he demanded as het threw a blouse and skirt on the bed, too.

"Why will you not let me go?" Satine asked in a low voice, "My husband paid you more than enough, let me go!"

The man grabbed her wrist and pulled her arm towards him.

"He only paid me to give you this," he said and put the familiar little metal tube in her hand. Satine enclosed it with her fingers and pulled her arm back. The man walked to the door and opened it, he then turned and said to Satine: "But someone else did pay enough. I will come back to get you in an hour. Be ready."

And with those words he closed the door behind him. Satine closed her eyes and pressed her hand holding the tube against her heart.

An hour later, when a distinguished man and his man servant got out of their carriage, Christian was sitting at a table, still waiting for his love to come back, and finally saw Kelsey relax and laugh.


	13. How Everything Went Wrong

So here's chapter thirteen. Very, very dramatically (if you saw 'Bankok Hilton' you'll notice some similarities, and yes, the interrogation was based on that!). Oh and I need someone to look over my chapters and correct any mistakes, a beta, if anyone's interested please let me know!

And about the confusion about the last sentence (chapter 12), it was Christian's secret mission to get Kelsey to laugh, and when she knows Satine is not coming back, she relaxes and laughs. At the same time two persons get out of their carriage. Guess who they are…

* * *

Chapter 13: How everything went wrong

"I will wait for you outside," said Kelsey and walked out of the fitting room. Satine put her boots back on and straightened her dress before she walked through the shop towards the door with the new dress under her arm. There was no one behind the counter. Outside, Kelsey was waiting unpatiently and handed Satine her coat as soon as she stepped out into the cold afternoon. Kelsey marched away without saying anything and Satine did not bother trying to keep up with her, so she followed her to the tavern without rushing.

"Ah, Kelsey!" Christian stood up from the table he and Robbie were sitting at and got her coat.

"Thank you," said Kelsey and she sat down at the table too.

"Is Satine not coming?"

Kelsey nervously wiped her hair out of her face.

"She is coming, I just walked faster because of the cold."

"Kelse, why are you acting so nervously?" Robbie asked teasingly.

"What- oh, never mind. I am not nervous, just cold," she replied.

Robbie frowned. Since when did his sister allow him to tease her?

"I can get you something warm, if you like," Christian offered.

"Oh no, do not bother. I am warming up already."

As the minutes went by Kelsey visibly relaxed. She got into a conversation with Christian and actually laughed.

_I do not know how this came about so spontaniously, but still: mission accomplished!_

"That is ridiculous, of course I did not steal that dress."

Satine sat back into her chair and crossed her arms in front of her body.

One of the two men opposite her bended forward so that Satine could finally see his face in the shimmering light of the lamp above the table.

"Ma'am, it is quite obvious that you stole that dress. We even have a witness. Why do you not make this easier for all of us and confess what you did? It might even shorten the sentence if you co-operate."

Satine bended forward too, out of the shadow.

"I will never confess to anything I did not do. Now I told you: my maid paid the dress with money from my wallet and she left with it. I can even tell you where she is right now."

"Listen, you may think that you threatened her enough to prevent her from talking to us, but we have her statement."

Satine swallowed as it all started to dawn upon her.

"Kel- Doris' statement?"

The police officer nodded.

"But...but that cannot be true. And does this not mean that it is her word against mine?" No matter how hard Satine tried to maintain her calm and confident attitude, she felt her eyes beginning to show her dispair.

"In any other case, yes. In this case, no. See, lady, you did not have any money with you when we arrested you. We caught you quite red-handed. You had the dress under your arm, no money and the owner of the shop said that she was not standing behind the counter when you left with your maid."

Satine sighed and laid her hands on the table.

"I do not know what to say. I understand what you must think, but please, I did not do it. If I would have any proof of my innocence or Doris' guilt I would give it to you, but there simply is none."

The police officer sunk back into the shadow, leaving Satine being the only one exposed to the light.

"There is plenty of indirect evidence and it all points to you, lady."

"Please, you have to believe me! I have not stolen anything. Why would I? I have more than enough money to buy that dress. Ask my husband, he should be in the same place as Doris now!"

The room fell quiet for a moment.

"Just...tell me what to do to make you believe me. Anything that can convince you of my innocence."

The second police man bended forward. He smirked.

"You are a very beautiful woman," he touched her cheek.

Surely, Satine knew immediately what the man wanted from her, and she wished she could do it as easily as when she was a courtesan, but her love for Christian held her back. So she slowly pulled back from his touch. She looked deeply into his eyes and said: "I am married."

His grin dropped from his face and the second policeman immediately hid himself back in the darkness.

Satine noticed her pulse rising and her chest rising and falling quicker and she knew what it could mean.

_Try not to panic, try not to panic._

"Listen, I know I am not in the position to demand things from you, but there is one thing that is really important to me. One thing I must have and I do not have it with me. Could-" Satine coughed, "It is already starting, could you please go to my husband and get my medicine? It is in a small metal tube."

The two policemen bended their heads towards each other and whispered.

"We will get it if you confess to the crime of stealing."

Satine rested her head on her hands. She could not help the tears from blinking in the corners of her eyes and she looked up to the men opposite her.

"Please, I can _not_ do that. I need my medicine."

"We need a confession."

"You do not understand! I might die without that tube-" the coughing prevented Satine from speaking any more and as the silent minutes passed, less and less air reached her lungs. It was at the point where Satine fell down upon her knees and her gasping for air became unbearable to hear that the first policeman decided to finally take action.

"Go get that tube my daughter uses when she has an attack! Hurry, I am sure she has the same condition! She is really going to die if she does not get it. Go!" As the second man hurried out the door, he threw himself on the floor next to Satine and rolled her on her back, her arms stretched above her head.

"This will open up your lungs, just try to breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. Your medicine is coming."

Christian gasped for air and Kelsey threw her head backwards. Robbie sat silently between them, angry because they did not seem to notice him and they would not answer his questions.

"I am going to look for her myself if you are not going to help me!" But indeed, Christian and Kelsey did not even hear him, so Robbie jumped off his chair and walked out of the tavern, into the cold, dark night.

"Let me pour you another glass of this magical liquid," Kelsey roared with laughter as she got the almost empty bottle of wine and grabbed Christian's glass.

Christian hiccupped and put his hands up defencively.

"No more, please, no more," he smirked.

But Kelsey ignored him and refilled his glass anyway. Neither of them noticed that Robbie had left the table and was now wandering through the streets all by himself.

"You have-" the man nervously pulled his lips into a pout and relaxed them again while his eyes went up and down the woman standing in front of him, "changed."

Satine sighed and turned her head to the right as she looked down. She felt the eyes of everybody in the room staring at her but she did not feel like staring back at them. All she wished for was to be held in Christian's arms again and snuggle up in his warmth. Instead she was wearing handcuffs in a dark, small room where the air was moist and the only light came from a lamp hanging from the middle of the ceiling.

After an awkward silence the man with the moustache stood up from the chair and placed his cane on the floor.

"Well," he spoke as he twisted his mouth again, "I guess we better go then, should we not?" His voice rose a bit while pronouncing the last few words and he moved his weight from his heels to his toes and back. The police officer uncuffed Satine and stepped back as the other man offered her his arm to lead her out of the room. They were followed by the man servant and the policemen stayed behind.

"Oh no look at the time! We ought to go to bed now, let me accompany you to your room." Kelsey giggled and stood up from the table and tried to pull Christian up from his chair.

Christian stuck his hands in the air defensively. He was obviously drunk.

"I will wait for Satine right here. You go to bed," he said.

Kelsey grabbed his hands and leaned on Christian's shoulder as she started to laugh out loud. Christian burst down in laughter too.

"But honey, Satine is not coming anymore. No, she is not!" she chuckled.

"Wait. What?" Christian pulled her from behind him and looked at her incredulously.

"Oh I am sorry, honey," Kelsey said and let herself drop in Christian's lap, "Satine is never coming back! Can you believe it?"

Suddenly Christian's conscience started to work again and a worried feeling arose from his stomach.

"Kelsey, where is Satine?"

"You know, you really do not want to hear this honey, but I saw her get into a carriage tonight," Kelsey moved her face closer to Christian's, "With two men," she continued, almost spitting every word in his face. Her hand went through his hair and she pulled Christian's head to her chest.

"And I am afraid that you know them…"

The young man walked through the dark streets. Finally on his way home. He was looking forward to see his mother and father and sister again. At least he hoped to see his sister. With her condition anything could have happened while he was at sea. What is more, he had a funny coincidence to tell them about: he had met a lady with the same condition as his sister and he had helped her on the boat. He truly felt like a hero and he was proud of it. With the reward they had given him he had bought his mother a piece of luxurious meat and his father a lighter. He had a bracelet for his sister.

Speeding up to get home even quicker, he almost ran into a little boy.

"Whoa. Sorry little friend," he apologized.

"That is okay. Can I ask you something?" the little boy was Robbie who was still looking for Satine.

"Of course you can."

"Well, I am looking for Satine, I mean Mrs Aimes."

"Satine? That name sounds familiar…" then he realized he had heard the name on the boat. It was the name of the lady he saved. He had remembered the name because he had never heard it before and was intrigued by her beauty. "I think I may know the Satine you are looking for. Come with me, my father is a policeman and maybe he can help."

The young man offered Robbie his hand and he took it. Together they continued their way to the police station.


End file.
